Welcome to Appy Astros, a blog dedicated to following current & former Greeneville Astros, the Appalachian League affiliate of the Houston Astros. Here you will find reports on current G-Stros, updates on the development of former G-Stros and occasionally an update on what has happened to the guys who have hung up their spikes.

A Look BackJ. D. Martinez wasn't the focus of attention when he arrived in Greeneville for the 2009 season. The attention was focused on the infield. Altuve at 2nd, Mier at SS & Meyer at 3rd were to focus. A fan favorite, and two high draft picks. Yet, J. D. Martinez was the difference maker. He was only here for 19 games. During that time, he hit .403, slugged five HR and knocked in 23 RBI. His RBI total was still 3rd on the team when the season ended. His HR total was tied for second.

When Martinez went to Tri Cities after the July 11th game, the Astros offense went away. The G-Stros were 10 - 9 with Martinez and 17 - 31 without him. It came as no surprise when he was promoted. It was clear, he didn't belong in the Appy League, just like a year later, it was clear he was ready for AA after just half a season in Lexington.

The G-Stros no longer have the worst record in the Appy League. With Burlington's game last night suspended, and Greeneville winning 9-5 over Princeton, the G-Stros own a half game lead over the Royals.

Adrian Houser made his G-Stros debut last night with a solid outing. Through 4 innings, he had only faced two batters over the mminimum. His fast ball had nice pop and his curve ball appeared to be keeping the P-Rays hitters off balance often inducing weak ground balls. He didn't walk a batter until the 5th inning but he went to full counts on several batters.

Ump Blows Call - Manager EjectedHouser ran into some trouble in the 5th. With two outs, one run in and a runner at second, Ryan Brett hits a long fly ball to center field. Jordan Scott ran back and appeared to have tracked it down but the ball went over his outstretched glove for a double. I am not sure if he missed judged it or took his eye off of it looking for the wall, either way, I was surprised when he couldn't corral the ball. In fact, even one of the umpires thought he should have caught it because he called him out. Yes he called the batter out an a fly ball that bounced on the warning track. Houser is on the mound ready to face the next batter when some of the players start off and other players are confused. After a few seconds, the players jog off the field. At that point, the P-Rays manager Mike Johns comes out and argues the call. After confirming with the home plate ump, the field ump changes the call to safe and calls the G-Stros back on the field. Omar Lopez comes out first and was irate. After several steps over the line, he was ejected and hitting coach Josh Bonafay & pitching coach Rick Aponte split the manager duties for the rest of the night. That would be the last batter Houser faced. He finished the night allowing three runs on five hits in 4 2/3 IP. If Scott is able to track down that ball in center, his night is over with one run on four hits in five innings. A game of inches.

Matison Smith was called in from the pen and had uncharacteristic struggles. He was hit hard (two doubles and a HR) and he walked two batters. He only had three walks coming into the night in 19 IP. Yet he was the pitch of record when the Astros began their improbable comeback.

Seven runs on one hitAfter being stymied for much of the game by P-Rays starter Reinaldo Lopez, the G-Stros made their move in the 7th. Down 5-2, Greeneville used five walks, an error, a balk and a grand slam from Jose Vargas to push 7 runs across the plate. It was Vargas' first HR of the season. It was a well hit ball that bounced off the top of the wall in right center field. Several diligent Astros staffers literally beat the bushes to come up with the HR ball so they could return it to Vargas.

From there, bullpen did it's job. In the last two innings, Mark Jones, Scott Zuloaga and Steve Martin shut the P-Rays down, allowing a hit an inning but fanning four of the last six outs.

ImpressionsHouser had a very solid outing. He is a tall, athletic looking right hander with a very smooth delivery. His off speed stuff had Princeton batters out in front several times during the game.

Ovando got two RBI's last night. One on a grounder to 2nd with the bases loaded that the second baseman couldn't get out of his glove to turn he double play and settled for a force at 1st. The second RBI came on a walk. He did have a solid hit through the right side early in the game. He made a laser of a throw to the cutoff man on a double hit in the 9th.

On the Princeton side of the equation, their shortstop was impressive. Jake Hager, the Rays 2011 1st round pick, is 18 years old and looks like a giant at SS, though he is listed at just 6' 1". He turned three double plays where he fielded the ball, touched second and threw the batter out. There was another time he fielded a ball that would have resulted in similar play had the runner not stolen second earlier in the at bat. It was amazing how well he was positioned all night. At the plate, he went 0-4 but is hitting .257 through 19 Appy League games and is hitting .341 in his last 10 despite going just 1 for his last 13.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Looking at the box scores only gives you so much insight into what happens in a rookie ball game. Digging deeper into the play by play summary gives you a little more info. But you never get as much info as you get when you are at the park watching the game.

Jonathan Clark singles on a bunt ground ball to third baseman Darwin Rivera. Jonathan Clark out at 2nd, pitcher Jamaine Cotton to second baseman Ruben Sosa.

I wasn't at the game but here is why an eye witness told me happened.

1. Clark laid down a beauty of a bunt, Rivera bare hands it and tries to make a throw, but Sosa covering first can't corral to throw. Scored as a hit.

2. Clark starts walking back toward home plate. Time has not been called.

3. Cotton (pitcher) throws ball to Sosa who is still at 1st.

4. Sosa goes down the line and tags the runner out while he is walking back toward the plate.

My witness learned later that Sosa told Clark, the bunt was called foul. Clark took his word for it and was returning to the plate when tagged out. My question is what was the first base coach doing. In rookie ball, the first base coach is often a bench player, and I am sure he would have been just as confused about Clark's actions as the fans in the stands were.

I am surprised Sosa wasn't buzzed later in the game. In his three at bats following the incident, he walked and flied out to center twice. Yep, you guessed it, Clark is the Kingsport center fielder.

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Greeneville Astros had their blood drive game tonight. You give blood, you get in free. So I missed the top of the first as I was topping off a pint of O+ for the Medic Regional Blood Network. When I got into the park, the G-Stros were already down 2-0 to the Pete Rose Jr. managed Bristol Sox.

Tyson Perez pitched fairly well scattering 8 hits over 5 1/3 IP, giving up 3 runs (2 earned). He left the game down 3-0 with runners on the corners. Side arming Scott Zuloaga came in from the pen to get the final two outs of the 6th and to save Perez from any more damage.

The B-Sox changed pitchers in the 7th. The starter, Ethan Icard, had allowed just three hits through 6 innings. The first reliever that came in for the B-Sox got lit up for 6 runs. Jordan Scott had a three run triple and then Jessie Wierzbicki delivered the big blow with a towering 2 run homer. You can see a pitching change came at the end of the home run trot. In between batters, I had noticed Greeneville hitting coach Josh Bonifay and Astros roving instructor Milt Thompson talking and smiling. I wondered if they hadn't picked up on something with the pitcher because the hitters were hitting like they knew what was coming.

In the 8th, the defense fell apart. The inning opened on an error by 2nd baseman Josh McGee, who had had an otherwise stellar night in the field. Then with the bases loaded and one out, Darwin Rivera made back to back errors on balls that should have started 5-4-3 double plays. So even though the box score shows Steve Martin with a blown save, it was Rivera who really blew it. Though Martin's wild pitch did allow the tying run to score.

Rivera got a shot at redemption in the 8th. Garen Wright lead off with double to center. Luis Alverez sac bunted him to 3rd and reached when the 3rd baseman could come up with the ball. It was the second time the catcher Alverez has reached on a bunt. He laid down a bunt for a hit to open the bottom of the 5th. So with runners on the corners, Darwin Rivera comes to the plate with a shot a redemption. He lifted a fly ball to deep center. Wright tagged and easily scored the go ahead run.

Steve Martin came back out for the 9th. With two outs, it was ol' Bama Bangs himself Ross Wilson at the plate for the B-Sox. With a full count, here is the final pitch of the game.

Last night, the family and I were out having fun when I got a text that said "What about your boy Altuve?" I figured he had just hit another home run in AA. When I got home and checked twitter and it was a buzz with Altuve talk. He had been called up to Houston.

I experience different feelings when I learn of promotions. Sometimes it is surprise, sometimes it is excitement, and sometimes there is "what took so long" feeling. Last night, I couldn't stop smiling. I showed my wife...she started smiling. I showed my kids...they started smiling. I spent the next several minutes reading clever tweats and neat articles about the news. You see, when you follow a minor league team, you develop relationships with players. Altuve is a gifted ball player, but he is a good person too. That matters. That makes him easy to root for.

Jose Altuve came to Greeneville in 2008 as an 18 year old kid. He played hard, had success, smiled for pictures and signed plenty of balls, tickets, shirts and programs. The fans loved him. We were a little surprised when he showed up again in 2009 but the Greeneville fans enjoyed watching him play and fell deeper in love with him. He left suddenly due to a promotion to Tri Cities.

For the 2010 season, Altuve was in Lexington but his presence was still in Greeneville. The Greeneville Astros used a picture of him on their billboards advertising the 2010 tickets, so you saw him when you drove around town. Then this year, the buzz of his success in Lancaster and Corpus Christi was the topic of conversations at Pioneer Park. "Have you heard what Altuve is doing this year?" Just this weekend, I was talking to some folks about how well he did in the Futures Game during All Star Weekend. He may be gone, but he is not forgotten.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Last night, the Greeneville Astros were no hit by the trio of Tim Shibuya, Garrett Jewell and Steven Gruver. It is definitely a memorable event and a reminder of how much has to go right to make a no hitter happen. In fact, this game was close to perfect. The Astros got two runners on in two innings. In the 4th inning, two batters made contact with the catcher's mitt and reached on catcher's interference. Then in the 8th, Jewell plunked the first batter he faced and then Garen Wright reached on an error by the third baseman. Both innings ended uneventfully for the G-Stros.

Shibuya's curve ball was extremely effective. It started way inside to right handed batters and then broke over the plate. He threw it at different counts effectively. He also was effective in locating his fastball on the outside corners to both LH & RH batters.

Jewell, quite honestly got lucky. Two of the hardest struck balls of the night were hit off of him. Wrights hard ground ball to third that went through Sano's legs was well struck and then Josh McGee hit a long fly ball to center field that CF Rosario tracked down by running an excellent route to the ball.

It's not that the Astros didn't have good at bats, it is just that the E-Twins did just about everything right all night. After watching back to back games, I am very impressed with Miguel Sano. The prospect from the Dominican Republic who signed for over 3 million in 2009 has put on a show in Greeneville. His defense has been outstanding, with the exception of the error in last night's game. He has made several highlight reel plays over the two games thus far in the series.

Scoring DroughtAfter getting no hit on Saturday, shut out on Friday, and only scoring in the first inning of the game Thursday night means the Greeneville Astros haven't scored in 26 innings.

Ordosgoitti's Start on SaturdayI was able to watch Saturday nights game as well. Luis Ordosgoitti had a rough start to his outing giving up 3 runs (2 earned) in the first inning before recording an out. It appears he was getting too much of the plate. After a visit from Rick Aponte, he settled down and allowed just one more unearned run the rest his outing.

Rivera's Struggles at 3rdDarwin Rivera has made 4 errors in the last two games. All of them were throwing errors. At the end of last nights games' he was starting to double and triple clutch on throws. He is getting to the balls, he is not making good throws. Having an inexperienced first baseman doesn't help but a few of the throws have not even been close.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Occationally I will get a question from someone out and about about a former player. The question builds my curiosity and I google the players name and find they are playing independent baseball. Indy ball is professional ball but it is not affiliated with a MLB team. The talent level is all over the map when it comes to indy ball and you can often find interesting connections on rosters. Here are some former G-Stros who are playing indy ball this season. If you know of more, let me know.North American Baseball LeagueMitch Einertson - Mitch made a big splash on the G-Ville scene in 2004 when he tied the Appy League home run record as a 18 year old. Off field issues kept derailing him and he was released after he had climbed as far as AA and was suspended for drugs. This year he is playing for the Mighty Warriors of Maui (Na Koa Ikaika Maui) in the North American Baseball League. Mitch is hitting .322 with 6 home runs in 43 games. His manager there is former MLB star shortstop Garry Templeton.

David Dinelli - is actually on the roster with Einertson in Maui. David was the 6th round pick of the Astros in 2007. He never advanced any higher than Greeneville and was playing indy ball starting in 2009. He has a 3.10 ERA in 20 appearances (29 IP) with Maui.

While playing in the NABL, they run across former Astro farmhands Justin Tellem, Rory Shortell, and Lou Santagello who are all still playing in the league.

American AssociationOle Shelton - Ole hit the first home run in the history of the Greeneville Astros. He is still playing ball for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association. Through 39 games, he is hitting .293 and has six home runs.

Jack Frawley - He pitched in Greeneville just last year. He is 2-4 with a 6.10 ERA in 13 starts for the Gary SouthShores.

Santo Luis - the big righty continues to try to make the big leagues after his release by the Red Sox earlier this season. He is yet to allow an earned run since he joined the Lincoln SaltDogs (3 appearances).

Corey Bass - Bass spent two seasons with the G-Stros (05-06). He is in his third season of indy ball and his 6th indy ball team. This year, he is with the Amarillo Sox. He is 3-2 with 3 saves in 22 appearances (31.1 IP).

Ryan Mitchell - Mitchell & Bass are teammates for the second time in Amarillo. Both were on the 2005 & 2006 G-Stros prior to his release in 2007. He has been in indy ball since then. This season, the 23 year old Mitchell is 3-3 with a 3.64 ERA in 13 games (12 starts).

Griffen Bailey - is the 4th member, along with Bass, Mitchell & Luis, of the 2006 pitching staff to be slinging the rock in the American Association . He is 0-2 with a 4.82 ERA through 20 games this season. He started the year with Fargo but is currently with Fort Worth.

Other former Astros farmhands playing in the American Association include Chris Salamida, Jeff Hulett and Matt Nevarez.

Atlantic LeagueAmadeo Zazueta - is yet another member of the 06 team to be playing indy ball. The Atlantic League is one of the top indy ball leagues. Their rosters are chock full of former big leaguers. Zazueta is back in indy ball after a brief stint last year with the Braves organization. Through 59 games this year, Zazueta is hitting .309 with six home runs.

Some of the other former Astros farmhands hanging out in the Atlantic League include Ryan McKeller, J. R. House and Val Majewski.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Last night, Jose Altuve made a big impact on the futures game. He batted 2nd and started at 2nd. He only saw five pitches in his three at bats which didn't give the commentators much time to talk about his stature; although Aaron Boone did get in a few "his nickname is Tiny" comments. He doubled in his first at bat on a hard hit ball that went off the third baseman's glove. Some felt that it should have been called an error but it was a tough play. Second time up, he drove the ball back up the middle on a well struck single. His last at bat, he flied out to left. (I personally didn't see the trajectory on the ball but it got their awful quick to be called a fly. I thought it was a line drive.)

Jose Altuve (Houston) is tiny -- apparently only about 5-foot-5½ if you ask him -- and recent history is very much against him on that count. It does look like these insanely high batting averages he's posting aren't a fluke, though. ... looks like he'll have only doubles power, but if you hit in the low-.300s with a handful of walks and solid defense at second base, you're at least an everyday player -- and probably a fan favorite.

one position player who got plenty of attention was Astros second baseman Jose Altuve. At 5-foot-7, Altuve looks more like a trophy model than a top prospect, but he went 2-for-3 with a double and played solid defense at second base. Watch him in batting practice and he won't blow anyone away. Watch him over time in games, and Altuve is the type of player who grows on scouts, while his .381/.420/.576 combined line through 85 games at high Class A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi speaks for itself. He had plenty of attention after the game as well, with more media members surrounding him than any other player in the World clubhouse.

"I love Altuve," said one pro scout. "I think his swing is good and he plays above his tools. He does the small things. He has a baseball sense, he makes contact and he's always in the right place at the right time. For me, his size doesn't matter because I think he's going to hit."

"What he does on the field, it's just incredible," Tigers third-base prospect Francisco Martinez, who played against Altuve when the two were teenagers in Venezuela, said. "The guy's hitting .350, .390, .400 -- I don't know what he's hitting, but he's hitting a ton. The little man can hit. It's that simple. That little man can hit."

Even Twitter was abuzz with Altuve tweets:

@WorldDugout (put out by MLB) had the following tweets during the game:1. Definitely, Rosario and Altuve lead this dugout among players2. Silverio yells to Altuve: "abusive prowess"3. Rosario: "he (Altuve) is going to be our MVP"4. Altuve says when he was on 2B, he caught himself looking around such a big stadium5. Of course, a lot of guys teasing 5-7 Astros prospect Jose Altuve

@JimCallisBA (Baseball America) tweeted: There's just no stopping Altuve. Hard liner up the middle, has both of the World's hits so far. #Astros #FuturesGame

@JeffPassan tweeted: Astros prospect Jose Altuve, all 5-foot-6 of him, is 2 for 2 in the Futures Game. He is the Venezuelan Dustin Pedroia.

@BenBadler tweeted: If Jose Altuve keeps this up, this will be the first Futures Game where the MVP trophy is bigger than the MVP

He even gets some props from current CC Hook J. D. Martinez (@jdmartinez20): Congrats to my lil Man Jose Altuve for doing Big Things at the Futures game!!

Jose has worked hard to get this attention. I look forward to seeing him continue to improve. This performance continues to build his case for a September call up to Houston.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

With news this week that Kody Hinze is headed to CC for AA ball, I checked out the Hooks roster and found it is full of former G-Stros. With Hinze's addition, it will make 10 players who wore the GreenEville across their chest. Here is who is there now:

There are only six other players who were originally drafted or signed by the Astros organization. There are nine players who were obtained via trade or free agent signings. I am excited to have this group of folks at this level because it is only a call up away from the majors. As Zachary Levine tells us this morning in the Houston Chronicle, AA is where the prospects are, AAA is just a holding ground for roster fillers.

Altuve Getting Some Time At 3rdOne of the problems on the roster in Corpus Christi is that there are too many middle infielders. Altuve, and Jimmy Parades are both listed as second basemen and are both rising prospects. The Astos org is trying to keep both in the line up so they have also shared time at 3rd base. Altuve has played seven games at third so far. The moving around on defense hasn't hurt his approach at the plate where he hit .364 for the month of June.

July 4th means a great many things to a Americans. When you live in Greeneville, Tennessee here are a few of the things that it means beyond the typical patriotic meanings shared by the rest of America.

1. Local eating options are reduced. This is the week every year locals should start diets because The Sandwich House, Peggy Ann's Bakery, and The Bean Barn all close down for a weeks vacation. Other local businesses do the same, including my barber and I could really use a trim.

2. Big Fireworks Show at the Astros game. Ever since the Astros came to town, the only big fireworks show around the 4th has been done by the Astros. No more fireworks at the fair grounds.

3. The season's attendance totals are impacted by how the Astros do in their July 4th fireworks game. You think I am kidding about this? Look at the numbers:

Make no mistake this is a correlation, not a causation issue. But I believe what happens on the big fireworks night matters for the rest of the year. For many casual fans, it is their first night out to see the Astros. When the Astros have a poor showing, those fans are less likely to return. When they play well, those fans are more likely to show up again.

The fact that the G-Astros have lead the league every year of their existence is a testament to the good job the front office staff and game day staff do to make the games a pleasant experience. After a record crowd and a win, it looks like the G-Stros are out to make it 8 years in a row!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Wow, summer is flying by. We just got started with ball in Greeneville and it is halfway over for the full season teams. Let's look at how the former G-Stros are doing up the ladder and outside the system.

Tri Cities ValleyCats

I know they just are just about two weeks into their season but we have 11 former G-Stros on the roster and we needed to check in on those guys.

Hitter of the Month

With just three candidates the pickings are a little slim. We we go with the one alumni with an average over the mendoza line. Ryan McCurdy has appeared in 4 games and is hitting .267. Let's hope that we have to make a choice between great performances for July.

Pitcher of the Month

Now this is a competition. There are eight former G-Stros on the roster and at least five merited some discussion here. We will go with Juri Perez as the pitcher of the month. Perez who is working his way back from arm surgery. He only threw 8 1/3 innings in 2010. He made a brief appearance in Lexington earlier this spring but is making his presence felt in Tri Cities. Perez made three starts in June. He struggled with his control a bit in the first start but since then, he has been dominate. In his last two starts, he has pitched 10 innings and struck out 16 batters; while allowing eight hits, two walks, and two runs. Opponents are hitting just .212 against him. His 20 total strike outs leads the NY/Penn League.

Honorable Mention goes to Ryan Cole who has 3 saves and a 1.93 ERA (4 2/3 IP); Garrett Bullock who has a 2.03 ERA in 4 appearances (4 1/3 IP); Travis Smink who has a 2.45 ERA in 4 appearances (7 1/3 IP); and Ebert Rosario who has a 3.60 ERA but 8 Ks in 5 IP. Rosario started the transition to pitcher from third baseman last summer.

Lexington Legends

Hitter of the MonthThe roster has experienced a fair amount of turn over in Lexington. During the month, Chris Wallace won the Sally League HR Derby and found himself wearing a Corpus Christi uni. Jio Mier jumped to Lancaster and Telvin Nash was activated from the DL after missing most of the month with a broken hamate bone in his hand.With those guys gone, the hitter of the month is Emilio King. King lost 100 points off his average from last month but still hit a solid .286 with seven doubles and two HR.

Pitcher of the MonthThe G-Stro Alumni are starting to put together a solid pitching staff in Lexington. This is a very close call. So close that I am giving a started and reliever of the month for June. Luis Cruz is the starer of the month. He moved from the pen to the rotation after his first appearance in June. After three starts, he had a 2.45 ERA as a starter and a 17 K in 18 1/3 IP. Jorge DeLeon is the reliever of the month. He finished with a 0.75 ERA and 5 saves with 14 K in 12 IP. DeLeon is in his second season of conversion from SS to P.

Honorable MentionsMurilo Gouvea missed part of the month but booked ended his time on the DL with a solid 0.75 ERA in six appearances where he fanned 14 in 11 1/3 IP. Ruben Alaniz had a solid month in the starting rotation. He finished June with a 3-1 record and a 2.28 ERA. David Martinez's contributions also cannot be overlooked. He fanned 10 in 10 1/3 IP and finished the month with a 1.73 ERA.

Lancaster JetHawks

Hitter of the MonthThis one is the easiest of the bunch. Kody Hinze is just too good for the California League. Hinze put up a .357/.505/.690 slash line despite a 2 for 23 slump following the All Star Break. Hinze won the Cal./Car. All Star Game HR Derby and still leads ALL of minor league baseball with a .469 OBP. He finished June with 8 home runs. His total of 21 on the season ties him for 3rd most in all of minor league baseball.

Honorable Mention goes to Miguel Arrendell who in 11 games put up a .342 average.

Pitcher of the MonthWander Alvino put up a solid month out of the Lancaster bullpen. In 10 appearances, he finished with a 3.75 ERA and 14 Ks in 17 1/3 IP.

Honorable Mention goes to Colton Pitkin who had a solid month except for his last outing of the month. In his first 7 outings, he pitched 10 1/3 innings and allowed just 4 earned runs. His last outing of the month was a rough one. Only 2/3 innings pitched and 7 earned runs scored. That outing accounts for 1/3 of the total runs he has surrendered all season.

Corpus Christi Hooks

Hitter of the Month Who else but Jose Altuve. The Venezuelan prospect has taken away the excuse that his previous numbers were inflated by the "Lancaster effect". He it .364 with 13 extra base hits since his call up to the Hooks on June 1st. He is a contact hitter, he doesn't walk much; only four times in June. He doesn't strike out much either; only 10 times in 110 AB.

Honorable Mention to J D Martinez whose RBI totals should benefit from Altuve being on base in front of him. Martinez hit .320 for June with seven extra base hits.

Pitcher of the MonthIt was an up and down month for the Appy Astros Alumi with the Hooks. There was no solid consistent performer and people were moving all over the place. This months award goes to Kyle Greenwalt.Since being moved to the pen, Greenwalt has adjusted nicely. In his 9 relief appearances in June, he is 0-2 with a 3.09 ERA.

Oklahoma RedHawksHitter of the MonthWlad Sutil is the only former G-Stro with any numbers worth noting. The little glove first player continues to use his bat effectively too. He hit a respectable .267 in 15 games with more walks (5) than strikeouts (2).Pitcher of the MonthDouglas Arguello had two good starts before going on the DL. Jordan Lyles stayed up with the big club. Henry Villar and Pat Urckfitz were sent down to Corpus Christi. Sammy Gervacio came up from Corpus Christi late in the month. Fernando Abad made 6 appearances before being called up to join Lyles with the big club. So based on this info we are giving the pitcher of the month to the Waiver Wire - for its great Change Up of the roster.

Outside the Astros System (Minors)Hitter of the MonthJordan Parraz continues to have a decent season for the Scranto/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. His average dropped a bit hitting only .243 for the month but he hit six doubles and three HRs.

Pitcher of the MonthTroy Patton had a solid June. He appeared in seven games for the Norfolk Tide (16 1/3 IP) and finished with a 1.65 ERA. It appears he is becoming a different pitcher than he was before the shoulder surgery of 2009. He only struck out 4 batters in the month.

MLBHitter of the MonthYet another month where only J. R. Towles represents the G-Stros as a position player. We are pulling for September call ups for Martinez & Altuve so that he can have some company. Towles was beat up for much of the month and in 15 games only hit .154.

Pitcher of the MonthSince being traded from the Rockies to the Royals, Felipe Paulino has been a solid starter. In his six starts in June, he amassed a 3.58 ERA and struck out 33 in 37 2/3 IP while walking 10. Honorable Mentionto Fernando Abad who in the five games since he was called up to Houston, has a 1.80 ERA and five strike outs.